I am SOOOO sorry I haven't updated. I've been really busy and haven't been able to find a second to update, but now that I have here is chapter eight. It's a little short, so I also apologize for that. As a reminder because it's been so long since I updated: Hiei is still in Makai (awaiting Mukuro's response, which you will get to find out in this chapter) and Kurama is in Ningenkai planning their wedding, anxiously awaiting Hiei's return.

WARNINGS: Language

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of it's characters

Kurama lay in bed…alone. It had been almost a week since Hiei had left and he had heard nothing from him. He wondered if perhaps the fire demon had had a change of heart or if Mukuro was just keeping him as long as possible to try to derail their wedding plans. Since he didn't know when or if Hiei would return, he still had to keep up with their wedding planning. Kayko and he had plans to go look at bridesmaid dresses the next day and he was surprisingly very much looking forward to it. He was sure that Kayko would be excited as ever and he could use some of her enthusiasm at the moment. Although he had grown accustomed to Hiei being absent for extended periods in the past, it wasn't the same this time. They were about to be married, almost everything was planned for the occasion, and now Kurama couldn't help but think that the wedding might not even happen, that Hiei might not return in time. He sighed, where was Kayko when he needed her? He tried to imagine what she would say, her cheerful voice speaking encouragements.

Suddenly, his mind was full of Hiei's voice. "Fox, are you there?"

Kurama sat up and looked around. "Hiei?" he called out loud.

"I'm not there…I'm sorry." Kurama realized the fire demon was communicating telepathically.

"Where are you?" Kurama responded. "Still in Makai?"

"Yes, Mukuro had an enormous stack of assignments waiting for me when I returned. I asked to send a messenger to you, but as part of her game she refused." Kurama sighed. He wasn't surprised by that. Mukuro could be a real bitch, especially when it came to Hiei and his relationship. "You realize I can hear your thoughts, Fox. You shouldn't think so ill of her."

"Sorry." Kurama was embarrassed by the honesty of his thoughts. It had been so long since he had used telepathy. "What did she have to say about your proposal?"

"She was already aware of our plans to marry before I arrived. Needless to say she wasn't pleased."

"I didn't expect her to be. Did she grant your request?"

"She's yet to respond. She says that because of my extended absence she needs time to think it over."

"Oh…"

"Not to worry, Fox. This is all part of her game. She has every intention of agreeing, she just doesn't want to fold too easily."

"But you'll be back in time for the wedding?"

"Of course. I wouldn't miss it for anything, Fox. I'll most definitely be there for the wedding night. You can be sure of that."

Kurama smiled. "It sounds like this time apart has been doing well for you."

"Mukuro's kept me very busy with work, tracking down demons. At first it kept my mind busy, but I do think of you, Kurama, and not just of fucking you."

"I'm glad to hear it." Kurama expected this to be the case. He knew that when Hiei was in Makai he was a constant thought on his mind, it had always been that way. "You're staying safe aren't you Hiei? These demons you're tracking, I'm sure they must be quite dangerous."

"It's nothing I can't handle." Hiei smiled, it was nice knowing that Kurama was worried about him. He wondered if the redhead was always so concerned when he was in Makai.

"Just promise you'll be safe," Kurama entreated.

"I will. I've got to get back to work now. I just wanted to let you know the situation here."

"Thank you," Kurama said. "I love you, Hiei."

"I love you too, Fox. I promise I'll be there with you as soon as I can." With that last thought Hiei's presence was gone.

xxxxx

"I don't know how you can be planning this wedding not knowing if Hiei will even be back in time for it," Kayko said from behind the dressing room curtain. "What are you going to do if he doesn't show up?"

"He'll show up," Kurama said. "He contacted me last night."

"He came to see you?" Kayko asked.

"Not quite." Kurama looked around the store at the human consultants working. Clearly, this was not the place to tell Kayko that Hiei had contacted him telepathically. "He has other ways."

"Whatever that means." Kayko stepped out of the dressing room. She wore a champagne colored, thick strapped, cocktail length dress. "What do you think?"

"It's lovely," Kurama stated. "Do you like it?" Kurama noted the v-neck cut, which was somewhat revealing for the usually modest girl.

"I think so," Kayko said. "I love the color. I think it'll go great with the roses." She looked at herself in a mirror. "Plus it'll keep Yusuke on his toes." Her hands moved to shift the fabric of neckline. "Maybe get him to think of having a wedding of our own one day."

Kurama smiled. He supposed that was one way of getting a man to propose. "Well I'm sure Botan will love it."

Kayko continued to stare at herself. "You think so? I wish she could have come, I guess they're pretty busy in spirit world too."

"Yes, well if demon world has a problem, spirit world typically has one too," Kurama said.

"Are you sure you like the color?" Kayko asked barely listening to what he had to say. "If you don't like it I can pick something else."

"Kayko, I assure you it's fine," Kurama said.

"Do you think Hiei will like it?" Kayko asked.

Kurama chuckled, "Fortunately, I don't think Hiei cares much what the bridesmaid dresses look like."

"But your vests and everything are going to match them right?" Kayko asked.

"Believe me, Hiei won't care," Kurama tried to convince her. Hiei had made it very clear he wanted absolutely nothing to do with the planning process. Kayko could have picked the most offensive color in the store and Hiei wouldn't have given it a second thought.

"Okay, well then I think this is it," Kayko said excitedly hurrying back into the dressing room. "Can you afford the rush on it? It was nice enough for you to offer to pay for them; I don't want you to spend too much."

Kurama smiled again. He had to remind himself how little Kayko knew about his past. As the legendary bandit, he had stolen many treasures and accumulated more than enough money to afford two rushed bridesmaids dresses. "Don't worry Kayko," he assured her. "I have the money. If you like it we'll get it. You have Botan's measurements?"

"Oh yeah," Kayko said stepping out of the dressing room in her normal clothes. "I wrote them down somewhere." She searched her purse before pulling out a piece of paper and smiling.

"Well then it looks like we'll be ordering your dresses today," Kurama said. "One more item to check off the list."

"Speaking of that, when are you going to get your tuxes?" Kayko asked.

"I'm not sure," Kurama stated. "I wasn't counting on Hiei being gone for so long. I suppose that will be yet another thing done on short notice."

"Aren't you nervous that things aren't going to be ready in time?" Kayko asked. "What if something goes wrong?"

"As long as everyone shows up and Hiei and I are married I couldn't care less what goes wrong," Kurama confessed. As the wedding was drawing closer Kurama was beginning to understand where Hiei was coming from. Perhaps they shouldn't have been doing all of this, but as always he pushed those thoughts from his mind knowing that having the wedding was the right thing to do. But as those thoughts were abandoned thoughts on Kayko's initial question replaced them. What would he do if Hiei wasn't back in time?

xxxxx

Hiei stepped into Mukuro's chambers. "You summoned me," he stated upon entering.

"You've done excellent work since you've been back," Mukuro praised. "It's made me realize just how vital your role on my staff is." Hiei remained silent; he had learned that comments like this were bait to make him believe she was ready to address his request. "You've been here for barely a week and you've returned nearly a dozen demons."

"You know I'm skilled with tracking," Hiei said calmly. "Are there more assignments you need to me to complete?"

"Are you asking for more work?" Mukuro asked.

"If you need it done before you can provide me with my answer." Hiei took the bait.

"I actually think I've made my decision on the matter," Mukuro stated.

"And?" he asked.

"And I can see how important your fox is to you," Mukuro said. "He's been in your thoughts since you've returned. Even more so than usual." Hiei scowled. He wasn't sure if this was part of the game or if she had been looking into his mind, but regardless his thoughts were none of her business. "Don't get so upset, Hiei. A fool could see that you miss him."

"What did you decide?" Hiei asked impatiently.

"In such a rush," Mukuro said infuriating Hiei further. "Well if you must know I've decided to agree to your terms." Hiei tried to hide a smirk. He had known all along that she would agree, but didn't realize she would answer so quickly. "Not surprised?"

"I figured you would give in eventually," Hiei said confidently. "If there's nothing else you need from me I'll be leaving today."

"Yes of course," Mukuro said. Hiei turned to leave before she interrupted him. "Do you intend to be mated?"

Hiei stopped. "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious," Mukuro said.

"Well not that it concerns you, but yes we will be mated," Hiei said looking back at her. "As soon as he returns to Makai." Mukuro nodded, but Hiei could see something lurking in her face, a sort of faint surprise. "This shocks you?"

"Not at all," Mukuro said. "Though I must say I am a surprised by something." She paused for a moment. "Ever since I heard of your engagement I found myself thinking about you and your fox. I started to think about his past, you know his history with Yomi and everything." Hiei scoffed. He had no interest in discussing Kurama or his history with Mukuro's enemy. "And then I realized how surprising it is that he was never mated before."

Hiei's eyes filled with an irritated confusion. He hated when Mukuro brought Kurama into her games. "Why would he have been mated before?" he asked. Then the more important question came. "And to whom?" Surely she wasn't referring to Yomi. Kurama and his relationship was one full of tension and annoyance, although he figured they had had sex during their alliance he was positive they had never been in a situation where they would have mated with one another. Yoko was cutthroat, but he could never have betrayed a potential mate the way he had betrayed Yomi.

"Did he ever tell you about a demon named Kuronue?" Mukuro asked. She saw the recognition in the fire demon's face. He had heard of him. "Anyway, the two never mated so there's nothing for you to worry about. Just something I've been wondering about recently."

Hiei stood silent, in thought for a moment. He knew of Kuronue very well, knew how close he and Kurama had been, how to this day his death haunted the fox. However, he had never given their relationship much thought. Had never considered the nature of it beyond the friendship Kurama had described. He could feel Mukuro's gaze upon him as his mind worked rapidly trying to consider this new information. "Well if that's all you have to say on the matter I'll be heading back to the human world," he finally said.

"Come back once you've settled into your new married life," Mukuro said. "I'm sure I'll have plenty of work for you." Hiei nodded before leaving.

xxxxx

Hiei arrived back in Ningenkai and made his way to Kurama's house. The whole way his mind was full of thoughts on Kurama's relationship with Kuronue. He was sure it was nothing. If Kurama had been in a relationship serious enough for people to think they should have been mated he would have told the fire demon about it…wouldn't he? But Kurama had been so quick to skip over a discussion of his past despite his interest in Hiei's. As Hiei thought about it, he realized he knew absolutely nothing concrete about the fox's past sex life aside from the fact that he had been generally promiscuous. "I'm not sure we have the time to discuss mine." The redhead's words repeated in Hiei's head. Why had he avoided the subject? Hiei had been so open with him about everything, had told him things he hardly wanted to admit to himself. Hiei felt these thoughts turning to feelings of rage and betrayal inside of him. He could feel the trust he had worked so hard to build between the two of them melting away. He wanted answers and he intended to get them.

When he had climbed into the tree outside of Kurama's bedroom window he looked in and saw that his fiancé was sleeping. He had no idea that Hiei would be returning. No idea of the poisonous seed that had been planted in the fire demon's mind. Hiei opened the window and swiftly entered the bedroom. He watched silently as the redhead slept. Usually in moments like this his mind felt at ease, glad to be back with his lover, but now all he wanted was the truth. He stared at Kurama with a harsh look in his eyes willing the fox to wake up so he could get to the bottom of this.

Kurama's sleeping eyes slowly opened. He saw the small demon standing by his window, staring at him. "Hiei!" he woke in a startle returning the stare. "You've returned." Kurama sat up. Hiei remained silent, holding his glare. "Did Mukuro grant your request?"

"She did." He did not move from where he stood.

Kurama could sense the difference in Hiei's behavior. Normally he was excited to see the redhead, even if he didn't always want to show it. "What's wrong?"

"Tell me about Kuronue," Hiei said.

Kurama eyes widened with surprise. "Kuronue?"

"You heard me very well Kurama. Tell me about Kuronue."

Kurama attempted to regain his calm and answered coolly, "I believe you already know about him. What sparked this sudden interest?"

Hiei shrugged. "Curiosity. You see, I went to speak with Mukuro and she seemed very surprised as to why the two of you were never mated."

"Hiei, whatever Mukuro told you…" Hiei flashed over to Kurama's bed and grabbed tight onto the fox demon's shoulders. Crimson eyes clashed with emerald in a fiery glare. "Do not be fooled into thinking you can overpower me, Hiei." Kurama's voice was steady. "I am not the weak human I am believed to be in this house. You know that."

"I have no intentions of overpowering you, Shuichi," Hiei spoke Kurama's human name with spite. "I simply wish to know about your history with the demon called Kuronue."

"Fine." Kurama pulled Hiei's hands off of him. "Although I'm not quite sure what you expect to find out." Hiei sat silently, ready to listen. "As you already know, Kuronue was one of my closest friends as Yoko Kurama. I don't know what Mukuro has led you to believe, but he was nothing more than that."

"You never slept with him?" Hiei asked.

"I don't believe that…"

Hiei's voice filled with anger, "You asked about my past and I have asked nothing of yours. Did you and Kuronue sleep together?"

"Yes, Kuronue and I were intimate, but it meant nothing."

"How many times?" Hiei asked. Kurama shook his head, not answering. "Kurama…"

"Too many to count, Hiei." Kurama did not look at Hiei, he was too embarrassed. This whole time Hiei had honored Kurama's virtue and now this was all coming out. He had hoped Hiei would have never asked about Kuronue. "I swear to you Hiei…you don't understand."

"So you had sex with him hundreds of times, but you were never mated. Why? Why mate with me now when you won't let me have you?"

"Do not compare our relationship to Yoko and Kuronue." Kurama spoke as if he and Yoko were not one in the same. "I was never mated with Kuronue because I did not love him. It was never even a thought to mate with him. Yes, we fucked. We fucked constantly and it was amazing." Kurama stopped; he instantly regretted saying that last part. "We did share a connection, but as far as that part of it it was purely physical. We wanted nothing more from each other than our friendship and sex when it was needed."

"Needed," Hiei practically laughed.

"Yes, needed," Kurama retorted. "I had and have needs Hiei. The same needs that led you into the beds of demons you barely knew." Hiei said nothing. He felt no need. "You knew about my history as Yoko. You knew what I had done. That I had..." Kurama searched for the right words. There weren't any. No words that would make this moment any easier or make Hiei any less angry. Finally he settled for the words he knew were so wrong. "That I had fucked almost all of Makai." He stopped for a moment to clear his mind of all the guilt from his past life. "I'm not proud of what I've done, but that was my past and I can't change that. No matter how badly I'd like to." Kurama looked at Hiei hoping to see his expression soften even slightly, but the scowl on the fire demon's face remained fixed. "Don't you see what Mukuro's trying to do here Hiei? Why do you think she suddenly mentioned Kuronue? She wants you for herself Hiei, are you too blind to see that?"

"Don't talk about things you don't know," Hiei snapped. "You have no idea what Mukuro wants, you know nothing about her. You know nothing about me."

Kurama's eyes winced in pain. "How can you say that?" he asked. "I know nothing about you?" Hiei had shared so much of himself with Kurama, surely more than he had with Mukuro. It came as a complete shock for Hiei to now be saying that the fox knew nothing, as if he were a stranger. "You realize if that were true, it would be because you refuse to let me in. You keep yourself so shut off from everybody to avoid being hurt when the only person interested in hurting you at the moment is you." Hiei sat looking completely uninterested in what the fox had to say, as if he wasn't listening at all. "You said before that I've never asked you to change despite knowing your past and now that you've learned about a painful piece of mine look how you're behaving. I can't change what happened, can't erase what Kuronue and I shared. Hiei, you have to understand I didn't even know you existed when any of this happened. I love you. I don't and I didn't love him. Please, don't let this ruin us."

Hiei was silent for a moment before scoffing. "This is what I've been waiting for." He finally turned to look at Kurama. "What I have done all of this for. You have no idea how greatly I have disgraced myself. I have agreed to give up my life in Makai. I have gone to Mukuro to beg for more time spent among these lowly humans. And for what? When you are nothing more than a whore." Kurama lost his breath. He looked at Hiei as if his words had just cut him like a sword. But before Kurama could say anything Hiei was gone.

So everyone probably hates me now, but I promise this is a love story and it will all work out in the end. So please don't stop reading just yet! Leave a review and let me know what you thought (even if that means telling me how mad you are). As always, flames are welcome.